Thread by @smithsonian

Her story changed history. Our Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative will tell a more complete American story and empower future generations.

This #WomensHistoryMonth, we'll share stories of the women who changed ours: #BecauseOfHerStory. womenshistory.si.edu

Caroline Jones started as a copywriter in the early 1960s and later founded multiple ad firms. She fought against the assumption that her ads should only address African American consumers. More about her career from @amhistorymuseum: s.si.edu/2l583vy #BecauseOfHerStory

@amhistorymuseum Ruth Asawa wove wire to create airy and evocative sculptures, and her later work included large-scale public art commissions. The Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts is named after her. Interview in our @ArchivesAmerArt: s.si.edu/2T7tj8d #BecauseOfHerStory

@amhistorymuseum @ArchivesAmerArt Roxie Collie Laybourne wanted to go to aviation school but wasn’t allowed because she was a woman. While working at our @NMNH, she invented forensic ornithology, which identifies dead birds through feathers. @SmithsonianArch story: s.si.edu/2mTOvwZ #BecauseOfHerStory

@amhistorymuseum @ArchivesAmerArt @NMNH @SmithsonianArch Carmen Lomas Garza is an icon of the Chicano art movement. Her folk-styled works document the lives of Mexican Americans and often portray memories of her own family in South Texas. See her pieces in our @americanart: s.si.edu/2EmXn5z #BecauseOfHerStory

For the March 3, 1913 march in D.C., suffragists debated whether African American participants should walk in a segregated section. Suffrage leader Ida B. Wells joined the parade and marched alongside the all-white Illinois delegation. s.si.edu/2C1UqqH #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum Zitkála-Šá (Yankton Sioux) was an author, musician and advocate for policy reform. She founded the National Council of American Indians in 1926, which worked to make U.S. government policies toward Native Americans more just. s.si.edu/2XDdpkL #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum Margaret Hamilton—shown standing next to listings of the Apollo Guidance Computer source code—was responsible for software that put astronauts into space and got them safely back home again. Some of the listings are in our @airandspace: s.si.edu/2EAx2RF #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace Frances Benjamin Johnston learned photography in the late 1800s. She photographed five U.S. presidents, plus diplomats and other government officials, then focused her work on architecture. s.si.edu/2Tk58n7 #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace Gladys Bentley began her blues career singing at parties, and later performed at one of New York City's most well-known gay speakeasies. Her recording career spanned two decades. This portrait is in the collection of our @NMAAHC: s.si.edu/2TmbW3Q #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC Ruby Hirose researched serums and antitoxins as a biochemist and bacteriologist. In 1940, she was among 10 women recognized by the American Chemical Society for their accomplishments. @SmithsonianArch photo: s.si.edu/2UqHp0Y #InternationalWomensDay #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC @SmithsonianArch Brownie Wise popularized the idea of hosting parties to promote and sell Tupperware. This transformed its reputation and was an opportunity for women to participate in business. Wise eventually became a vice president of the company. s.si.edu/21vMMbb #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC @SmithsonianArch Sophie Lutterlough was the first woman elevator operator at our @NMNH. In 1957 she was hired as an insect preparator. Lutterlough went on to research and classify insects, helping to discover 40 type specimens in the collection. s.si.edu/2TxYUjz #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC @SmithsonianArch @NMNH Bessie Coleman couldn't get flight training in the U.S. because of her race and gender. She went to France and earned her license. Her flying career inspired many young African Americans to go into aviation. Photo in our @airandspace: s.si.edu/2EXXt44 #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC @SmithsonianArch @NMNH Ursula Marvin wanted to change her major from history to geology, but her professor said she should learn to cook instead. Marvin became a planetary geologist at @saoastro. An asteroid is named for her. s.si.edu/2F0fgrg #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC @SmithsonianArch @NMNH @saoastro Alma Thomas spent 38 years as a D.C. public school art teacher. Then in 1972—in her 80s—Thomas was the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at the @whitneymuseum. Her papers are in our @ArchivesAmerArt: s.si.edu/2TG5Mvh #5WomenArtists #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC @SmithsonianArch @NMNH @saoastro @whitneymuseum @ArchivesAmerArt Marguerita Mergentime blended bold colors, typography, and a fascination with American history and culture into her festive designs. Her influential but underrecognized work is currently on view at our @cooperhewitt: s.si.edu/2Fgw6lR #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC @SmithsonianArch @NMNH @saoastro @whitneymuseum @ArchivesAmerArt @cooperhewitt Mary Church Terrell advocated for African American women before and after the 19th Amendment. At 86, she sat at a segregated lunch counter and took the restaurant who refused to serve her to court. 📸: @amhistorymuseum s.si.edu/2TOzjmO #HiddenHerstory #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC @SmithsonianArch @NMNH @saoastro @whitneymuseum @ArchivesAmerArt @cooperhewitt Doris M. Cochran was the first woman curator at our Division of Reptiles and Amphibians, where she worked from 1919 to 1968. One of her books has been translated into six languages. She holds a frog in this 1934 @SmithsonianArch photo. s.si.edu/2U0EaAz #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC @SmithsonianArch @NMNH @saoastro @whitneymuseum @ArchivesAmerArt @cooperhewitt Patricia Cowings investigated psycho-physiological and biological problems astronauts faced in space in the early 1980s. She taught them to regulate many autonomic functions—such as heart rate—through biofeedback. More from @airandspace: s.si.edu/2TWEFf1 #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC @SmithsonianArch @NMNH @saoastro @whitneymuseum @ArchivesAmerArt @cooperhewitt Queen Liliʻuokalani was the last Queen regent of the Hawaiian Kingdom before the U.S. overthrew its government in 1893. She traveled to argue for independence to presidents and statesmen. Her book on Hawaiian history is in @SILibraries. s.si.edu/2U24MRO #BecauseOfHerStory

@NPG @amhistorymuseum @airandspace @NMAAHC @SmithsonianArch @NMNH @saoastro @whitneymuseum @ArchivesAmerArt @cooperhewitt @SILibraries Belva Ann Lockwood could not vote, but she could seek public office. The Equal Rights Party nominated her as its candidate for president in 1884 and 1888. "Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence" will open at our @NPG on March 29. s.si.edu/2JGLFbR #BecauseOfHerStory